1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to methods and apparatuses for enhancing the data rate for a packet-switched data service, and more particularly, for enhancing the data rate for the packet-switched data service with a first subscriber identity card while a second subscriber identity card is performing a scheduled measurement to maintain mobility or receive network messages.
2. Description of the Related Art
With growing demand for ubiquitous computing and networking, various wireless communication technologies have been developed, such as the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) technology, Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA 2000) technology, Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) technology, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) technology, Time-Division LTE (TD-LTE) technology, and others. Generally, a cellular phone only supports one wireless communication technology and provides a user the flexibility of mobile communications at all times via the supported wireless communication technology, regardless of his/her geographic location. Specifically in today's business world, a cellular phone is a necessary business tool for conducting business conveniently. For business people, having an additional cellular phone exclusive for business matters is a common choice, since they need to conduct business while being out of the office or even out of the city/country. Others may find having an additional cellular phone as a good way to save/control the budget for wireless service charges (including phone services and/or data services). However, having two or more than two cellular phones may be troublesome when one has to switch frequently between the cellular phones and carry around all the cellular phones with himself/herself. In order to provide a convenient way of having multiple subscriber numbers, dual-card or multiple-card cellular phones have been developed, which generally have two or more wireless communication modules for respectively performing wireless transmission and reception with an individual subscriber number. The dual-card or multiple-card design allows the wireless communication modules to be active simultaneously and allows calls to be received on either subscriber numbers associated with one of the wireless communication modules at any time. Thus, a dual-card or multiple-card cellular phone may be used for business and personal use with separate subscriber numbers and bills, or for travel with the second subscriber number for the country visited.
For the dual-card or the multiple-card cellular phones with one single transceiver, only one wireless communication module is allowed to obtain network resources using the single transceiver, while the other wireless communication module has no control over the single transceiver. Specifically, the wireless communication module with no control over the single transceiver is not aware that the single transceiver is occupied by another wireless communication module, because the two or more wireless communication modules operate independently and lack a proper communication mechanism therebetween. For example, a dual-card cellular phone may be configured such that the single transceiver is occupied by the first wireless communication module for performing a PS data service, e.g. the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). While the dual-card cellular phone is performing the PS data service with the first wireless communication module, a second wireless communication module may constantly interrupt the PS data service in order to gain the control of the single transceiver for performing radio measurements which allows the second communication module to maintain mobility or receive network messages, such as a paging message. As a result, the PS data rate or data throughput of the PS data service would be damaged.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a flexible way of managing the operations between the multiple wireless communication modules for multiple subscriber identity cards, so that the operations of the multiple wireless communication modules may be coordinated to maximize or enhance the PS data rate while maintaining the mobility in the network for the idle subscriber cards.